


You Don't Have to Hide Your Tears From Me

by lauraesque



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: (ish lmao), Canon Compliant, Jumin's Route, M/M, give this ship more love, omg but theyre so gay guys, yooseven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-19 00:05:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8180942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lauraesque/pseuds/lauraesque
Summary: All Yoosung wants is to make things a little easier for the boy he likes, but Seven has never been one to let others help shoulder his burdens.Based on Yoosung and Seven's little trip to the mountains in Jumin's route. Contains minor spoilers.





	1. Chapter 1

Yoosung wasn’t exactly sure when the little comments from Seven started to make his cheeks flush red, but he was certainly aware of it now.

“You look so adorable with your hair stuck up like that,” he chuckled (redredred) and moved to flatten out the spring of Yoosung’s hair that seemed to have erected itself during the night. It wasn’t surprising, given their sleeping conditions. Yoosung had woken up with his head on Seven’s dashboard, a little pool of drool from the corner of his mouth starting to roll down towards the glove compartment. Seven had narrowed his sharp eyes at the abuse of his ‘baby’, but hadn’t said anything, much to Yoosung’s surprise. He thought that the redhead might just have been grateful to him for agreeing to risk coming out to some place in the mountains in the middle of the night. Then again Seven had had to use Honey Buddha Chips to bribe him.

But if Yoosung was being honest… Any excuse to see Seven was perfect. And a road trip where he could steal glances at the hacker while his eyes were fixated on the road? Even more so.

God… when had Yoosung got so deep in this? When had he got used to dialing Seven’s number between classes, cradling his phone to his ear just to hear that familiar teasing tone while his classmates phoned their girlfriends? When did his stomach start sinking when he was redirected to voicemail (which was more than often, since Seven was almost always busy hacking and tracking and god knows what else)?

Yoosung was finally able to exhale when Seven sunk back into his seat, his hands returning to scuttling across the keys of his laptop at a startling pace. Yoosung watched those loose fingers dance, little soldiers moving desperately to keep up with Seven’s lightening thought process, before dragging his eyes back to Seven’s face. For what seemed like the billionth time that day, Yoosung examined Seven’s features. His slim nose, just a little shallow on one side so that his unadjusted glasses weren’t perfectly symmetrical: slightly lower on the left. His thin lips, partially open, with his tongue peeking out in concentration. The slope of his jaw, and how it clenched every once in a while – at the same time that his fingers froze and his brow would furrow at the screen for only a millisecond. Then his fingers would scatter madly once again, and his jaw would unclench as his brilliant brain inevitably came up with a solution to whatever problem he had come across.

“Yoosung, you’re staring,” Seven said after a while, and Yoosung wondered how long he had been aware of this fact.

“R-r-right!” he stammered, looking away bashfully. “Sorry.”

“No worries, cutie.” That teasing tone again. “Not sure exactly why you’re staring though.”

Yoosung cocked his head and, without thinking, said, “It’s because you’re pretty, Seven.”  
He clamped his hand over his mouth. But it was far too late for that. A pleased smirk played on Seven’s lips, and he turned from his laptop to take in Yoosung’s blushing face. Even the tips of his ears had pinkened. He extended his hand and curled his fingers around Yoosung’s wrist. He gently tugged it from his face. Beneath Seven’s fingers, Yoosung’s pulse was erratic.

“Oh, so cute! You think I’m pretty, Yoosung?”

“I-” Yoosung squeaked and shut his eyes, as if it would somehow make the situation disappear. Seven’s teeth sank deep into his lower lip. With Yoosung’s wrist held above in his hand, and his eyes squeezed shut, he looked so _vulnerable_ , and, and…  
He dropped the other boy’s wrist. It felt heavy, to Yoosung, without Seven holding it up.   
_Oh god, oh god – I fucked up. He totally knows! He knows!_

“Don’t worry.” Seven muttered, shifting back into his seat uncomfortably.

They settled into an awkward silence. The only sound was the noise of Seven’s manic typing. Yoosung passed the time by gazing out at the trees around them and playing games on his fingers. By Yoosung’s third sigh, Seven finally dragged his attention back to him.

“I’m boring you?” he teased, waggling his eyebrows.

“Sorry,” groaned Yoosung. He fidgeted in his seat (again) and turned so he was practically on his hips, facing Seven. “Are you almost done?”

Seven chuckled. “Yes. Have a little faith.”

“Sorry,” repeated Yoosung, but this time a small smile stretched across his face.

“There,” Seven said, not moments later, “I’ve looped the CCTV so anyone watching won’t see me, and disarmed the security system to buy some time if I get caught.”

“Yay!” Yoosung clapped his hands once. “Good job! Now let’s-”

Seven’s hand whipped like snake. “You’re staying here, Yoosung.”

Yoosung wrestled with the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “Child locks? Really?”  
Seven winked, but then his face fell somber.

“Please. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you…” Seven closed his eyes and leaned back against the headrest. He looked tired. So tired. Yoosung wanted to lean over, run his fingers over his eyelids, smooth out the lines on his forehead, sweep his thumbs across the dark circles… He almost reached across. Almost.

“Is it dangerous, Seven?” Yoosung’s brows were drawn together, and there was a worry in his eyes that Seven had never seen before.

“Don’t look so worried. I’ll come back.” His signature smile. Still, this didn’t stop him from fishing out a crumpled note from his hoodie and pressing it into Yoosung’s palm. “I will, I promise. This is just in case.”

Yoosung smoothed out the note.

 _1\. Call this number: xxxx-xxxx-xxx_  
_2\. Say the letters J X Y N H Z R T_  
_3\. Respond to the question with ‘confirmed’._  
_4\. Toss phone in nearby lake_  
_5\. drivedrivedrive_

“S-seven…”  
Yoosung’s eyes brimmed with water, dangerously close to spilling down his cheeks.

“Don’t cry, Yoosung…” Seven affectionately ruffled his blond locks. “I’ll take the child lock off, but can you promise me you’ll stay in the car? If something happens to me, I need you to tell the others… so that… so that they can get help! Okay?”

Yoosung sniffled and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Okay…”

“Good boy,” Seven cooed, causing Yoosung’s face to heat up. “I’ll be right back.”

And then he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

The minutes dragged on. The sluggish passage of time was almost painful. Yoosung had developed a routine of staring out the window for 6 seconds, checking his phone, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, then looking out of the window again. Searching for Seven. He began to fret and worry more and more. Shouldn’t he be back by now? What if something had happened?

He decided to seek reassurance from the other RFA members. Logging in and opening a chat was instinctive to him.

_Seven hasn’t come back yet… I’m seriously worried._

Like always, MC logged in at the speed of light. Yoosung smiled fondly. He never knew how she did that: how she was always there whenever anyone needed.

_Don’t worry Yoosung! Seven is tough, he’ll come back safe~_

**ZEN has logged in**

_Yoosung! Where are you guys?_

Yoosung frowned and typed out:

_Seven said not to say…_

Zen’s response was quick.

_Seriously?! Seven that guy… You could be in danger!_

Yoosung assured him that he was safe in the car.

_Still… can’t you give us some hints as to where you are? Please? I’m worried._

Yoosung sighed. He decided there was no harm in giving them a general idea…

_Well uhm… we’re outside this castle in the middle of the mountains._

Zen’s frantic response:

_A castle!? No way… Is the roof painted a totally weird colour?_

Yoosung frowned.

_Ya? How’d you know??_

MC chimed in helpfully.

_Yoosung, send a picture of the place… I think it might be…_

Yoosung looked thoughtfully at the castle. Surely it would be okay… right? Determining to be decisive, he snapped a quick picture of his surroundings and posted it in the chat.

_OMG!!! That’s the place from my dream!!!!_

_Wait really!?_

_Yoosung ,, that white smudge in the corner! I’m sure… yes that’s the fur ball!_

Yoosung squinted at the picture. He couldn’t see any sign of Elizabeth…

_Where?? I don’t see her anywhere…_

_Just trust me and go find that cat!! Then maybe Jumin will finally let MC go home -_-_

Yoosung breathed sharply.

_Seven said to stay in the car…_

_Please Yoosung!! I know it’s a lot to ask but Elizabeth 3rd means so much to Jumin… and I hate to think what might happen to her out there. Please rescue her!_

Of course, MC would be able to persuade him to do it…. With a sigh, Yoosung opened the door and slipped down from the car seat. It actually felt quite good for him to stretch out his legs. He rolled his shoulders. Time to find that cat.

“Elizabeth… Lizbeth! Elllllyy…” Yoosung jerked his head upwards. That sound. Again. Yes, he was certain he heard the mewing of a cat. “Elly!” He continued to call. Seconds later a ball of white fur barreled into him, meowing frantically. “Elizabeth 3rd! Gosh, it seems you remembered me.” The white cat mewed and rubbed herself against Yoosung’s legs, coiling her tail round his ankle. “I’m glad to see you too.” He glanced about warily. “Let’s find Seven and get out of here.” He turned to scurry back to the car.

“Wait.” A cool voice pierced the air. “Where are you taking that cat?” 

Yoosung clammed up. Who was this person? They looked… disturbed. “Oh, uhm… She’s my friend’s cat. There’s an ad for her online…”

“Friend…?” The stranger frowned and tugged at a silver strand of hair, smoothing it between his fingers so that his dry hair crackled. “Jumin Han doesn’t have friends.”

“You might think that if you only see him on TV,” Yoosung defended, “But Jumin’s not a bad person in real life. But… do you live in that castle over there?” _Stalling stalling stalling. Seven, come quick!_

“We’re not trying to break in or anything… we’re just lost. We’ll just leave with the cat,” Yoosung stammered, “I’m kind of sweating right now.” _God, why did I say that?!_

“Haha. You’re shaking. I can’t believe Jumin Han has a friend like this.” The stranger mocked. There was something oddly familiar about that teasing tone. “Sorry, but once I’ve found you, I have to know which group you belong to.”

_Ahhh think of something else!_ “Uh, uhm… did I say friend earlier? I must have made a mistake! I’m just passing by.”

“Am I supposed to believe that?” _OH HECK._ _Seven, where are you?_   “I didn’t hear of any blonds in RFA… who must you be?”

The cogs in Yoosung’s head were turning, speeding up. He stopped shaking and his brows narrowed into a frown. “RFA… So this really is the hackers headquarters.”

“Hacker’s headquarters?” the stranger repeated, confused.

“What do you have against RFA?” Yoosung growled, stepping back from the stranger. His stomach was filled with a fire he had never felt before, flaring up and making him spit his words.

“Yoosung!!” Ah, there he was. Yoosung’s… knight in shining armor. Something like that. 

“Seven…” Yoosung was so glad to see him, he felt he could cry. Seven yanked his shoulders and gripped tightly. Yoosung couldn’t shy from his enraged expression. “What are you doing here?” His hands dug into Yoosung’s shoulders, making him squirm. “I told you to wait in the car!”

“Seven, I was so worried…”

Seven sighed. His hands dropped from Yoosung and his shoulders slumped. “I know… I’m sorry. For what it’s worth – I can guarantee I was more worried.”

“Seven…” the stranger interrupted, grabbing both of their attentions.

“I’m sorry, we were just passing by.” Seven lied quickly. He turned back to Yoosung. His eyes were dark – heavy with a severity that Yoosung had never seen before. He was suddenly filled with a deep, daunting fear. “… Yoosung, run.”  
A fear that Seven would say just that.

“What? I can’t leave you!”

“Run!” Seven snapped. Yoosung’s eyes were shiny with terror. “Go to the car! Now!”  
Yoosung sniffled and gave a small nod. Hugging Elizabeth to his chest, he made a dash for the car.

“You idiot, Seven…” Yoosung sobbed, his feet thudding against the dirt of the mountain pass. He ripped open the car door, practically throwing himself and the cat inside. “Quick, quick, quick…” he muttered as he fumbled with the keys to start the ignition. He grunted and yanked the gearbox up. His heart was like a flea caught in a mint tin. It rattled against his ribs, manically begging, pleading, praying that his friend would be safe. He drove as fast as he thought he possibly could, given that he would have to brake any second. It was merely moments before the car skidded to a stop in front of Seven, but it felt to Yoosung as though it had been decades.

“Seven!! Get in the car!” Seven looked dazed.  
“Hurry! Haven’t you seen any action movies? Get in!” Still, Seven was hesitant.  
“C’mon, our covers are blown – it’s too dangerous to stay!”

“O-okay!” Seven blinked, taking one last glance at the stranger before he shot towards the car.  
_I did it… he’s safe. He’s really here. I didn’t lose him. God…_  
Yoosung was so overwhelmed. He felt the familiar little pools of water collect in his eyes.

“Seven,” he whispered.

“Don’t cry, Yoosung.” Seven’s voice was weighted with an exhausted kind of sadness. The kind that people hold in their hearts when they’ve been beaten down again and again, when all the bad things that had been building up break – burst like a dam. “Just keep driving.”  
But when Yoosung glanced over, he saw that Seven was turned entirely away for him. He never needed to look to know when Yoosung was going to cry. And Yoosung never needed to check to know when Seven was hiding his tears.


	3. Chapter 3

Yoosung had been driving for a long time now. He felt his eyelids starting to droop, blinked himself awake, focused on the road, and then felt his eyelids drooping again. He had been trying to suppress his yawns as not to worry Seven too much. The bitter night air was making him shiver, but he was grateful that the cold was helping to keep him awake.

 “You’re exhausted. Pull over and let me drive for a while,” Seven’s voice was cool. Expressionless. This only worried Yoosung more.

“But Seven, you’re not-“

 “I’m fine,” He snapped, “God, just let me drive!”   
Hurt flashed across Yoosung’s face. Seven felt guilt settle in his stomach, a feeling sort of like when he ate too many Honey Buddha Chips and then decided the solution was to wash it all down with Dr. Pepper. A really heavy feeling – and you can’t even be mad about it since you brought it on yourself. Although maybe it was a little bit Yoosung’s fault for being too cute. It made that hurt look sting a thousand times more. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you. Plus, I think Elly wants to sit on your lap.” He pouted, “She won’t go anywhere near me.”

 “It’s okay.” Yoosung feigned a smile. “I’ll pull over then.”

The roads were vacant, other than Seven’s own car, so Yoosung veered into the layby right away. He let out a shaky exhale when the car came to a halt. The air between the two was thick with things unsaid, words floating around that neither of them had the courage to grab and say for themselves. Yoosung, reluctant to step out into the cold, assumed an awkward hovering position, and stepped over the gearbox to swap with Seven. “Hurry up, it’s hard to hold this position,” grunted Yoosung.

 “O-okay, r-right…” Seven stammered, unsure of how to maneuver into the other seat without bumping into Yoosung. He tried his best, he really did. He used all of the little grace he had been gifted with to avoid brushing his hips against Yoosung.

Of course, it didn’t serve him any good – since he had no grace at all, really.   
Yoosung’s face went a dark red and Seven choked on thin air, barely managing to bury his subsequent coughs in his elbow. Almost falling over the gearbox, he quickly scuttled across to the other seat. Yoosung collapsed into the passenger seat and hurriedly buckled his seatbelt. He stared down at his hands in his lap so that his blond hair curtained his blushing face. The blush he was attempting to conceal was obvious, but Seven found his efforts endearing. Seven coughed (again) and reached behind the seat to grab Elizabeth the 3rd and plop her in Yoosung’s lap. Finally contented, and mostly recovered from the trauma of being thrown around a car, she curled up against his stomach. A gentle purr sounded from the ball of fluff as Yoosung scratched behind her ears.

 “I wish she liked me as much as she likes you.”

 Yoosung chuckled. He was happy to hear Seven sounding more like himself.

 “I wish you liked me as much as you liked her.”

Seven’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel. “I like you more than I like Elly.”

Yoosung’s heart leaped.

 “Really?”

 Yoosung couldn’t stop the tugging at the corners of his lips.

 “Yeah. Way more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so short! It just feels right to break it up like this. But I'm almost halfway through chapter 4, so perhaps there will be a double update tonight!


	4. Chapter 4

The night grew colder as they drove further into the dark, and Yoosung and Seven were both feeling the bite of the air – even with the car's heater turned right up. Yoosung hugged Elizabeth to his chest in a vain attempt to warm them both up. From the corner of his eye, Seven noticed the blond’s shivering.

“We’ll stop off at the next garage. We can stretch our legs and I’ll buy you coffee.”

 “Thank you for being so good to me, Seven.”

Seven sighed. “You know that’s not true Yoosung. The last time I hurt you was only an hour ago.”

 “You’re stressed out.”

 “I always take it out on you. I tease you all the time.”

 “I like it.”

 Seven snorted. “You’re ridiculous.”

 Yoosung looked down at the cat sleeping in his lap, his face soft. “I mean it. I would do anything… to make your troubles lighter.” He sucked in air loudly, not wanting to leave Seven the space between his words to argue. “I know you have them. You hide them; bury them with jokes, brush things over. But it’s not like I don’t notice, the things you go through, the things you’ve been through… That man from earlier, he… he broke something in you then. I- I… You can tell me. Whatever it is, when you’re ready, you can tell me. I will always do my best to understand you.”

 Seven was quiet, his eyes stuck to the road and his breath was baited, as if driving wasn’t instinctual to him – which Yoosung knew it was.

 “You’re right,” He said eventually. “I put up walls. Walls that are impossible to break. It’s how I’ve lived all my life. I have more secrets than you probably have LOLOL items.” He caught Yoosung’s small smile at this little comment and returned it, just for a millisecond. Then he was serious once again. That cold exterior, his last line of defense when jokes and teasing failed. “I could never deserve you Yoosung. I could never make you happy.”

 It was Yoosung’s turn to be quiet. He sat, watching the pale moon through the glossy windows of Seven’s car. Yoosung had always loved the moon. It was the quiet reflection of the sun – it wasn’t bright, and it couldn’t light up the planet and fill everything with color. But it was always there. Whether in day or night, the moon was there, watching over us all. A gentle reminder that you were never quite alone.  
Yoosung wanted to be Seven’s moon.

 “You already do,” Yoosung whispered those private words so quietly. As if someone else there might steal them from him. As if Elizabeth could understand if he spoke too loudly. He wanted to be sure those words would only reach Seven’s ears. And that’s exactly what those words did, and they filled Seven’s heart with a joy he had never even dreamed about.

 Soon enough, they spotted a 24/7 garage not far in the distance. “Finally,” Yoosung breathed, rubbing his cold hands together. Elizabeth had crawled from his lap to nestle near the heater in the back of the car, which Yoosung was glad for since he was sure he hadn’t the heart to wake a sleeping cat. They both unbuckled their belts and stepped out into the crisp night air, the slamming of the car doors seeming to echo against the silence.

 “You’re shivering so much,” Seven frowned at Yoosung. “Here.” He shrugged off his black and orange jacket and drew it around Yoosung’s shoulders, knotting the sleeves together (which Yoosung promptly undid and slipped his arms into the sleeves, like any normal person would given how cold it was).  
“Hey, it was meant to be a cool cape.”

 Yoosung laughed at his pout, but apologized insistently until Seven huffed an ‘ _I forgive you_ ’. In the garage, Seven bought himself and Yoosung coffees, which they drank while leaning against the side of the car and gazing at the sky above. Seven made up a bunch of believable-sounding constellations, which Yoosung ‘oo-ed’ and ‘ah-ed’ at as he sipped his hot drink and blew clouds of steam using its heat.

 Seven wasn’t even looking at the stars as he fabricated constellations. He couldn’t not admire Yoosung, and how his hair seemed to glow, illuminated by the moonlight; how the stars couldn’t compare to those violet eyes, and how cute he looked tucked away into his jacket. Yoosung made some reference to Shrek regarding Shrek and Donkey’s questionable stargazing in the first movie. Their laughter faded into the dark.

 Yoosung turned so he was sideways to the car, facing Seven. He was close, too close. Seven bristled but Yoosung didn’t flinch.

 “I like you, Seven.”

 Seven closed his eyes. He knew those words shouldn’t make him happy, but they did. Every ounce of his mind was screaming at him ‘ _You can’t have him, he’ll only be hurt, you’re dangerous, you don’t deserve him’_. But his heart ached to close the gap between them, to press his lips against Yoosung’s, to taste the coffee on his breath, feel his hair entwined in his fingers. He screwed his eyes tighter shut, knowing if he got even a glimpse of Yoosung he would lose whatever control he had left.

 “I meant what I said before. I want to lighten your burdens. I want to listen when you need me. I want to hold you when you’re tired. I want to look after you, and keep you safe in a way you don’t understand yet. I want to ki-” he caught himself, his cheeks visibly red even in the dark – if only Seven opened his eyes. “I want to be with you…”

 Seven felt his eyes swell with water. _Just keep them shut. Don’t let him see how weak you are. Don’t let him know how bad you need him._

 Yoosung pressed his cool hands against Seven’s cheeks.

 “Open your eyes, Seven.”

 “I’m too dangerous to be with you.”

 “Open your eyes.”

 “You’ll only end up getting hurt.”

“Open them.”

 “I don’t deserve you.”

 “Open.”

 “I can’t make you happy.” Seven blinked open his amber eyes. Yoosung was right there, in front of him. His eyes were filled with affection, caring, worry. Everything Seven believed he didn’t deserve. He kept blinking, refusing to let his grief overflow. Struggling to keep the dam from bursting.

 “You don’t have to hide your tears from me, Seven.”

 And so Seven let go. He let everything go, and the waves came crashing through.

 The kiss was a little awkward, as with all first kisses. Yoosung’s face was wet with Seven’s tears; some had even caught on his eyelashes. There was the clicking of their teeth, and the uncertain placement of their hands. But there was also all the good things. There was their two hearts beating against each other’s chests. There was the clinging to each other and knowing that the other never wanted to let go. There was the reminiscent taste of one another even after they drew back for breath. That night was theirs: the moon was shining just for them. They were the kings of every corner of the world. Neither of them had ever felt more complete, more whole, in the entirety of their being. Yoosung buried his head into the crook of Seven’s neck, unsure of how he would ever bring himself to let go. He wanted to stay there in the warmth of Seven’s embrace, buried in the scent of his sharp, bitter aftershave. How could he possibly let go?

 “Yoosung,” Seven whispered, softly petting the younger boy’s hair “I like you very much, but I gave you my jacket, and it’s a lot warmer in my car, and you made me drop my coffee, and we really need to-”

Yoosung cut his words short with another kiss, to which Seven had no rebuttal.

 “Okay.” Yoosung pulled back with a bright smile.

Seven made himself a promise under that sky. He promised to protect that smile with absolutely everything he had. Because that smile was an oasis in the middle of a desert. It was the most beautiful rose among a life of thorns. It was a pearl in an ocean of grey. It was all of the good in Luciel Choi’s life.

It belonged to the only person that he wasn't afraid to show his tears.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I was considering taking this idea further, but I feel as though its better to keep my first yooseven fic short and sweet. You can expect much more yooseven content from me in the future though! Dont hesitate to send me any ideas or questions you have.
> 
> Take care everyone, I'll see you soon!
> 
> Happy shipping~
> 
> Adelaide


End file.
